How early do we need to book for Holiday Break 2005?

[zaban3]

We are planning a cruise to Panama Canal Dec. 24, 2005 on the Coral Princess. How soon do we need to book since this is a very busy time of year? We are waiting to see when the kids will have vacation from school. We will need one room that will hold three people.

 

Has anyone taken this cruise that has teenagers? We will be going with our two sons -- ages 19 and 15.

 

"Grandma" is taking us for her 80th birthday. (She will be there too!)

[Coral]

Most cruises that cover both Christmas and New Years books up quickly. I would book soon - especially since you would need a triple room (better be safe then sorry). Considering you can cancel and get a full refund - I would consider booking a room and if the dates change, cancelling. Make sure the agency you are booking with doesn't charge a cancellation fee.

[bostonlass]

I would do it as soon as possible. I booked the April cruise with my daughters back in June and even back then it was hard to find the cabin that I wanted. Moreso than that though, I waited on airfare and am now kicking myself because I'm looking at about $400 per person for nonstop flights. Good luck!

[paradise4ever]

From what i have heard, Easter vacation is getting pretty full, either week. I have friends going and they say if i wanted to go i'd better book now. So, guess you better check it out and see whats open. Have fun.

[CruiseFever]

ASAP

 

We try to book our December holiday cruise at least a year in advance to get the cabins we want. Like we had Holiday 2005 booked about a month ago. I don't think that's absolutely necessary if specific cabins in categories that are in high demand are not your goal but I don't want to take chances.

 

We'll use our purchased future cruise credit of $100 to hold the cabin until final payment so its not like we're giving them a lot anyway and if we change our minds we can always get it back.

[Tania]

Call your school board or go to their website to find out the dates. Don't wait to book if you're serious about the trip. You have your choice of cabins now and you'll probably get a decent price reduction if you check regularly with Princess if you're not in a high demand cabin. Triples and quads, not to mention the limitation on numbers of children, makes booking a cruise with Princess a challenge during the holidays. We've booked Christmas 2005 on the Sea Princess and our category is already waitlisted.

 

The Ministry of Education in Ontario publishes school vacations YEARS in advance: the simplest way is to go to their website and look it up. Almost all boards respect the schedule. Makes booking vacations a breeze!